i ordered 3 pairs of different colour endura humvees and was going to pick one and send the others back, but i now want to keep all 3 pairs, even though i already have 2 pairs of other mtb shorts, so does n+1 apply here?
same with shoes i suppose 🙁

N = number of items owned whereas N+1 = number of items owned + what is deemed necessary for a contented existence thus simplifying the term “If only i could own/buy that “insert item of desire here” then my life would be complete and i’d be content”

Yeah, I get shorts n+1 but for the wrong reasons – no pair of shorts has ever been ‘right’ for me. I’m always on the lookout for the right pair of shorts. 10+ years and at least 6-7 pairs of shorts and I still haven’t discovered “the one”. They’re either the wrong cut (they get caught on seat), poor pocket selection, too heavy, or poor quality/fall apart. I’m not especially pedantic either – I’m quite content with every other bike / part / item of clothing I own.

So IMO keeping three pairs in different colours is madness – at some point in the near future you’ll realise that there’s a devastating flaw and you have three pairs of imperfect shorts. Unless of course, Endura HumVees are the perfect MTB shorts, in which case I’ll take three pairs 🙂

If you do find a piece of bike clothing that you really like, buy several! Especially gloves and shorts! The manufacturer will always “improve” it for the following year, and will change the fit or remove the feature(s) you really liked. And if you have a few, they last a lot longer and its easier to keep a clean set on hand.